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ORGAN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE, M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH. . , - ESTABLISHED IN 1555 RALEIGH CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE. 0rg3n of the North Carolina Conference. IYia.isnKD Wkkklt.y at Raleigh, N. C. second-class matter in the post-office at Raleigh, X. 1VEY, I). D., . . . Editor. M. WATSON, Business Manager. : i. " TERES OF SUBSCRIPTION. n.ie Year, - ai.ou. 1 ai mumu, - .,0 , im tn 1 r:.. m.-iu. n r- t inters of the gospel and wives of deceased clier, i.oa AU travelling preachers in the North Carolina F .1. . " 1 . - ii . . -1. . 1 free. 1 UhA. it shows the date np to which I voi-r ubcnpt:o!i lias oeen pain Change in label serve? .1? ----r- When add res is ordered changed, both old and new address must be given. t., ,T'i vjonev, be sure to state whether it is fcrold or new subscription. dlre?s all letters and make all checks and money ord.r? payable to the RALEIGH CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE. EDITORIAL. KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE MAIN QUESTION. We have seen much in the papers re- j incisive, robust sermon by a Methodist cently concerning the statements of cer- j preacher, who emphasized the truth that tain army officers to the effect that the jthe prime function of the Christian reli canteen is a positive blessing to our sol-; gion js jn preventing sin, rather than in dier e have no doubt that statements of this kind can be indeffnitely multiplied. I the healer of the body and the healer of Suicide has been pronounced a good j the soul uttered a truth which must have thing by a certain rhetorical apostle of j right of way. and which is destined to free thought and other uncanny things, j afject most wonderfully the realm of both Why should it be thought a thing incred- j material and spiritual therapeutics. The ible that liquor should prove a blessing in j prophylactic element must figure more disguise to our soldiers? But it seems j largely in our evangelical life. This fact to us under the present circumstances j adds dynamic emphasis to our duty as that the efTect of the canteen upon the j guardians of the young. In it we find army is not the question. The question j our most powerful arguments for Christ is, can an act of Congress be nullified by j n the home and school. It sheds a beauti tieipse dixit of a cabinet officer? Con-jfnl light on the act of Christ in taking cress has said in perfectly clear terms that the army canteen shall not exist. At torney General Griggs says that this act must be construed to mean that the can teen shall have an abiding place in the armv. Shall the American people be tantalized and ridiculed in this way? Shall the ereat issue be obscured bv a ! reference to the statement of divers mili- j tary men with bacchanalian tastes? We j been sold in England alone. They have believe not. Mr. Griggs and Secretary received notice in the columns of the Alger will find that in diverting the pub- j most influential journals on both sides of lie mind from the main question, they, j the sea. No book, since " Uncle Tom's like the ostrich, are simply hiding their j Cabin" was written, has caused such en heads in the sand. The pursuers are be-! thusiasm. hind, and vengeance is inevitable. What j The key-thought of Mr. Sheldon's will Mr. Mckinley do? Thousands are books is that we should imitate Christ in waiting to see. ' ' the practical experience of daily life. GUP. ORPHANAGE AND PREACHERS' HOME. We rejoice in the fact that our new en-! Exemplar is held up before the millions terprise lias its beginning under such au-1 of earth. spicions circumstances. The city of Ral- j Such a foundation truth, in the hands eigh has given $3030 in a most beautiful j of one who knows how to write English, site embracing forty-six acres of land. A j and is bold enough to apply the probe in prominent and large-hearted Methodist of tender spots and tear off masks, should the same city has given $6,000. Other certainly insure for the book a liberal parties have given smaller amounts. The patronage. But why should this patron new enterprise, only a few months after age be phenomenal ? Mr. Sheldon teaches Conference, starts with a capital of over Si 2,000. It enjoys the very practical ad- j vantage of being- supported by the argu- j ment of financial strength. It has passed : the age of doubt and exults in certainty. At the head of the enterprise is a man who knows how to push it. He talks 'Orphanage" incessantly. He dreams of n- It shines in his eyes and is outlined 111 is placid countenance. We refer to ev- J. W. Jenkins, the President of the Board of Directors. He gives facts which are bound to tell. He has asked no man for money. He will not ask. He lets the facts beg for him, and proclaim to the Methodist people of North Carolina that 0ne f the richest privileges of their life ls before them that of contributing to tne erection of a monument which shall stand for ages as the expression of a peo n's love for the fatherless and infirm. e Baptists gave last year $13,000, and suPported 150 orphans, the Presbyterians gave $11,200, and supported 100 orphans; the Episcopalians gave $3,000 and sup ported 60 orphans; the Friends gave $3,000 and supported 30 orphans, the Odd Fel- ; j lows $1.00 per member for the support of j 40 orphans. These are some of the facts i as given by Bro. Jenkins. He says that j j the Methodists as a church gave last year j only 1,600 for the support of orphans, and that Halt ot this amount was given by . . . . ... l,atlon demands that we rally as one man ;arouna me enterprise. v e must as : chmch be first ill the great work of liv ing and spreading that "pure and unde- filed religion" which consists in "help- ing the widows and fatherless in their af-1 fiiction. A PROPHYLACTIC GOSPEL. - The other day we were told by a tal-! ented and experienced physician, in a ! private conversation, that he had been j folded hands and watch the great proces j trying to teach both theoretically andjsion of opportunities filing by; others I practically that the greatest work of the i dive into the depths of sensuality and medical profession is in preventing dis- ease, rather than in curing it. At the i close of the same day we listened to an curino - it. We felt that these two men the little ones in his arms and saying, "Suffer the little children to come unto me.' " T if tic lioncli inn onnliT fli. f-ri-ifn Js L no .ixxuii ciuu ajxy L11V 11 Ulli. HAS IT BEEN IN THE RUBBISH? The popularity of Mr. Sheldon's books ls a matter 01 astomsnment. l wo or three million copies of his books have The author presses home to young men and old the prime question, "What Iw-ould lesus Do?" Christ as a Divine no new doctrine. He simply reiterates what Christ made one of the conditions of discipleship nearly 1900 years ago. It is the fundamental teaching of the Chris- tian Church that every Christian must make a practical application to his own life of the truth that we must follow in the footsteps of Christ do as He would do. It is very plain that the millions have accepted an old truth as new. This ex plains why Mr, Sheldon's books have had such a large sale. The fact is not com plimentary to the ministry of our Evan gelical churches. We are afraid that the truths illustrated in Mr. Sheldon's books and appearing so fresh and original as to command an enormous circulation, have been hidden in the rubbish. We are afraid that Christ in our pnlpit and pri vate teaching has not received sufficient prominence as the Christ for every-day life as well as for the Sabbath ; the Christ of the workshop as well as for the closet; RALEIGH, N. C, JULY 5, 1899. the Christ to be followed as well as to be j loved. Let us bring the old truth from the hiding place, clothe it as Mr. Sheldon has clothed it, present it as Mr. Sheldon has presented it, and a larger number will see Christ as the "fairest among ten thou- sand, and the one altogether lovely." COB'S ANSWER TO A GREAT QUESTION. Life, in o-eneml. is a tiling of rpctW ! longing. There is in the soul a vacancy, T.1?. & . . . 1 J. XX.ll UJ it often consumes a life-time. ; Childhood feeds its soul upon the expec-! tations of that day when every longing j shall be satisfied. As the v-nr n.K? .hph ! i enter the various fields of life. One enters a learned profession ; another earns his I suenance irom snop or iactory. l ins A f 1 1 one moves m the mad wuiri of business; j that one satisfies his longing for excite-! ment on the battle-field. Some sit with ! revel in the gilded halls of sinful pleas ures. Trying to do what? To fill the va vancy in the soul to satisfy the soul's longings. When one succeeds in filling this vacancy, or in satisfying- his lons"- ings, whatever they may be, he possesses happiness, or, in general, peace. The politician says that he wants reputation and power; the farmer, an independent living; the scholar, learning; the mer chant wealth ; the debauchee, pleasure. But what each wants is peace. How many obtain it? From a ma jority of the world's millions goes up the wailing cry, "U where shall rest be found?" To this despairing question, only two answers have been given that of the world and that of God. The world says, "Find jSace in what I give you." From the cradle to the grave there is a mad rush for the sights and sounds and the possessions of this globe. Experience, observation, and the Word of God teach us that the world's answer is untrue, and that happiness does not come from the possession of tilings without. Solomon, in the utterance of those pathetic words, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity", convicts the world of a monstrous falsehood. God answers the question, by saying, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee", and later, through his Eternal Son, by saying, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This peace and rest are stayed upon something within the heart that has been regenerated by the Holy Ghost. This something is conditioned upon an in dwelling Christ. The natural heart can not enjoy peace. Let there be untuned chords within the soul, and all the melody of earth would be but harsh discord. Let there be in the heart the ugliness of sin, and it cannot be hidden by all the beauty of gems, of sunset halos, and sparkling j eyes. No calm can reign without where there is a storm within. Only in the fountain "opened up in the house of King David" can sin be washed away. It would be as impossible for man to re store to the withered rose its pristine blush as by his own efforts to bring back that peace which wras lost in Paradise. He must look to God through Jesus Christ. To one who thus looks, conse cration is the beautiful flower of his life, peace the bloom, and service the fruitage. When God promises "perfect peace" he does not promise freedom from storms of trial. He promises that grace which makes the soul superior to trouble. Dur ing the roughest, stormiest season, there comes upon the ocean a week of wondrous calm, when the bird called halcyon builds its nest upon the sleeping wave. So in the midst of the storms of life, it is our privilege to find a place where white winged peace doth hover, as hovered the cherubim over the mercy-seat. May this glorious privilege be utilized by all our readers. THE GREAT QUESTION AND ITS ANSWER. What is likeness to Christ? That seems to be the question of the hour. It is not a new one. "The imitation of Christ," ascribed to Thomas a Kempis, written in the fifteenth century, and translated, perhaps, into more languages than any other book except the Bible, shows how old and universal has been the interest in this theme. It dates back, indeed, to the period of the apostles and Christ's own words, when he said, "I ve given xu an example, that ye should also do as I have done to you. But this thought, while ever present with the church, is now receiving a new emphasis. Popular literat Elizabeth Stuart Mrs. writes Til t nieips Ward "The Singular Life;" Hall Caine, "The Christian;" and "In his Steps" and other similar works bv Charles M. Sheldon are being read by scores of thousands. Ian Maclaren has given us "The Mind of the Master." Christianity or the church in its claims for allegiance is judged by this i stanaara. 1 ne day nas passed wnen one can urge these claims, saying; "Do not look at me, but look at Christ, our foun der." People insist that Jesus must be reproduced in the lives of his followers. The question of creed also pales into in significance compared with that of bear ing the image of the Master. By this both men and institutions are judged. Our question, however, is far easier to ask than to answer. A truly Christlike person is more readily recognized than defined. Such a one has something be sides common virtues. Men and women who rise no higher in the Christian life than the stages of fidelity and cheerful- j ness under ordinary circumstances fall belowChristlikeness. Fidelity and cheer fulness are two great and noble attri butes. We honor the man who is faith ful in the discharge of his regular duties. Indeed, wTe often feel that this is enough to ask of many. It is about the sum of ! our demands of children. If a boy is i faithful to the tasks given him at home, punctual and regular in his attendance at school, and with lessons learned each day, we call him, rightly, a very good boy, and as parents are justly proud of him. Likewise is it also in the case of servants. If they are faithful and relia ble in the discharge of duties, always in their place, we are well satisfied in their conduct. Fidelity in the discharge of one's calling, which includes honesty, is a great virtue, and yet, noble and grand as this virtue or conduct is, it does not ordinarily represent Christlikeness. Un der certain conditions it may, but ordi narily it shows no higher life than might be lived by a heathen stoic. Christ came into the world to reveal a higher princi- ! pie of living than the mere performance of duty 111 one s business or protession A Christhke life calls tor sometlnng more. Cheerfulness also does not"necessarily represent Christlikeness, although the exhortation to be cheerful runs through Christ's commands from the precept, "Be not therefore anxious for the morrow; . . . sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," until we hear him saying, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye be lieve in God, believe also in me." Per haps only a Christian can most truly sing: "The year's at the spring And day's at the morn; Morning's at seven; The hillside's dew-pearled; The lark's on the wing; The snail's on the thorn: God's in his heaven All's right with the world P Sometimes, indeed, cheerfulness is one of the highest of Christian virtues. But Cheerfulness is not always a mark of Christlikeness. It frequently arises from mere animal exuberance. We see it in a happy-go-lucky negro of the South, wdio, in tatters and rags, basking in the sun shine, appears all the day happy and contented. The cares of life rest so lightly upon him that he is ever cheer ful. Cheerfulness arises also from the possession of characteristics entirely lack ing in such a negro. Grit, "sand," makes men cheerful. It shines out in resolu tion in the midst of disaster. The men of Chicago wdio erected their signs and announced their continuance in business amid the debris of the ruined city in October, 1871, had this spirit. The Klondike miner who faces the fearful obstacle of arctic cold, and never loses hope wdiile he has life, possesses this virtue. The writer has seen one who never frequented the sanctuary, who never New Series. Vol. 1, No. 20, made a profession of religion, who never, apparently, prayed, in spite of his boy hood training in a New England Chris tian home, on his last bed of sickness, at the age of three score years and ten, as jovial and cheerful as he had always been through life. The type of manhood combining faith fulness to the obligations of one's calling with cheerfulness in their performance, is very high. A stalwartness is in the com bination of these two virtues that makes grand men. Christlikeness, however, we instinctively feel, calls for something more. Christ said to the young ruler: "If thou wouldst be perfect, go sell that ! thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven : and come, follow me." "But his countenance fell at the saying, and he went away sorrow ful : for he was one that had great pos sessions." Two things were required of the young ruler, service for others, and this service at the cost of his heart's treasure. To render this is to be like Christ, for his own life was of this self sacrificing nature. We need not wonder that the young ruler, having great pos sessions, went away sorrowful. We do not like to sell all that we have and give to the poor. But likeness to Jesus de mands this, if necessary. His words must, of course, be taken generically. Of the wealthy they demand the bestowal of ma terial possessions ; of those rich in social gifts, the bestowal of their power of en tertainment; of scholars, the bestowal of knowledge. In short, whatever posses sions w?e have are to be given to the needy. This is Christlikeness, and this is the imperative demand of the present age upon those who profess to be his follow ers. It is not enough that we should be upright and honest in our business and cheerful in our homes. The call is for something more. We recognize this im mediately in our judgments of men. There are many whom we can call up right and honest, but the number is far from being large of those whose lives are so fragrant with patient self-sacrifice and helpfulness that for them can appropri ately be written the inscription, u An Imitator of Jesus." The result is attained only by close association with Christ. "Abide," he said, "in me." "Without me ye can do nothing." "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." We know how men are helped through com panionship; how the life of a husband may be transformed by the loving influ ence of a wife, how a pupil may be moulded by the example of a teacher. The abiding presence of one who is no ble lifts the base to his own level. The weak becomes stimulated and aroused through the strong. So the man who chooses Christ as his continuous com panion and friend appropriates uncon sciously and unavoidably in some mysti cal way the character of the Master, and is built up like Him. This is the whole process, and to attain this result is to reach the supreme. S. Times. An earnest effort is at last being made to check or restrict the liquor traffic among the natives of Africa and the islands of the seas. A committee has been formed 111 England which was ably represented at the recent International Temperance Congress in Paris, and there aroused an interest which is expected to resuit in an influential French committee. A German committee has already been formed, and these committees are now well represented at the conference of the Powers at the Hague. The King of the Belgians, the Duke of Westminster, Lord Salisbury and Air. Chamberlain promise hearty support to the movement, which receives strong moral support from the emphatic testimony of the last Blue Book on Native Affairs in South Africa, show ing the disastrous results of the liquor traffic. The Dutch Reformed Church of the Transvaal has lately sent a deputa tion 308 strong, from all parts of the country to Pretoria, to protest against the traffic as undermining the national char acter not only of the native races, but of the Boers themselves. This is regarded as almost an epoch in the history of the country, owing to the relations thus es tablished between church and state. Lord Kitchener is known to take the same po sition with regard to the liquor traffic in the Soudan. Christ has given us the earth for our body ; but he himself is the soul in which our souls must root ; the eternal help, the source of succor and all supply. Beecher.
North Carolina Christian Advocate (Greensboro, N.C.)
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July 5, 1899, edition 1
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